| Abstract Scope |
An integral way of communicating aspects of materials to students is with hands-on projects and in-class demonstrations. In ceramics, it is important to teach about concepts that are difficult to visualize in a traditional classroom setting (e.g. elasticity, compression, hardness, and strength). This study describes a way in which a hands-on approach to learning can be applied in a college classroom to instruct on ceramic engineering concepts. In this work, students were instructed to design a durable ceramic mug to give them hands-on experience in project design, compression tests, and data analysis. During the process, students were given online, in-person, and collaborative resources and encouraged to apply these resources to address various aspects of the ceramics design project. This project demonstrated that when students are able to connect lectures to practical applications it creates a concrete learning experience to solidify lesson material. |